Apparatus for displaying tiles or the like



April 21, 1931. zlEGLER ET AL 1,802,102

APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING TILES OR THE LIKE I Filed June 29. 1929 s shQts-sneet. 1

FIG. I.

S v w WITNESSES NVENTOR:

TTORNEYS.

April 21, 1931- V R. M. ZIEGLER ETAL 1,802,102

APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING TILES OR THE LIKE Filed June 29. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

H H H H H Qil \H/ WITNESSES a q INVENTOR:

A TTORNEYS.

April 1 R. M ZIEGLER ETAL 02 APPARATUS FOR DI'SPLAYING TILES OR THE LIKE Filed June 29. 1929 s Sheets-Sheet a FIG: 11.

BY 2 g ATTORNEYS.

relented Apr. 21, 1931 BOYDEN M. ZIEGLER, OF WESTFTELID,

displaying tiles or the UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AND HERBERT'W. WARDEN, JR., THE C. PARDEE \VORKS, OF PERTH .AMB JERSEY AND ARIO PARDEE, OF PRINGETON, NEW JERSEY, OF HAVERFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO OY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING TILES OR THE LIKE Application filed June 29, 1929. Serial No. 374,925.

3' operator to manually position for display a series of tile panels in any desired succession, the invention being characterized by the ease and rapidity with which the panels may be moved to and from their respective J chambers.

V ceal the panels whichare not in use and'the.

wall of a tile display A further object of the invention is to conapparatus for moving them so that the appearance of the display room is not marred by A more specific object of the invention is to provide movable and stationary tracks from which the tile panels are adapted to be suspended by means of trolleys, together with means for transferring any one panel from a stationary to a movabletrack without disturbing the position of other panels.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which follows hereinafter and which has reference to the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings: 7

Fig. I represents a top planview of one room embodying the invention,

Fig. 11 is a front sectional view of the same taken along the line represented by the arrows Il-II of Fig. I,

Fig. III is anincomplete sectional view of a tile compartment taken along the line represented by the arrows 111-411 of Fig. l and showing in detail the construction and manner of suspension of a tile panel. I

Fig. IV is a view similar to that of Fig. III but taken along the lines represented by the arrows IVIV of Fig. I,

Fig. V is a sectional view taken along the. linesrepresented by the arrows VV of Fig. IV and illustrating the manner in which a tile panel may be transferred from a stationary track to a movable track,

Fig. VIis an enlarged plan view showing guides for the lower edges of tile panels at the floor of the compartments in which the panels are housed; and

VII is a perspective view of a wall opening and partment.

The tile display room, in which is incorporated the apparatus of our invention,-

preferably consists of a room,-the walls and floors of which are completely tiled and which has one ormore openings in each wall. One

wall of such a room is represented at 1 in Fig. I, the wall having openings 2 into which tile panels 3 of a variety of designs and colors may be successively positioned for display.

In the drawmgs there are shown fourcolnpartments l, there bemg one on each side of each wall opening 2. Housed within each compartment are nine tile panels 3, any one of which may be moved laterally from its compartment and forward to the wall line of the-display room at the selection of the operator. The apparatus for thus moving the panels is located in the upper part of the compartments and the spaces between them. When apanel 3 has been moved to the wall line of the display room, as shown at the right hand of Fig. I, the machinery for moving the panels is completely concealed from sight.

The arrangement of panel compartments thus far described is merely a convenient one,

and it will, of course, be apparent that the position of the compartments and the num ber of panels housed therein may be varied to conform with the limitations of the room to be used as a display room.

lVith particular reference to Figs. III and TV, a compartment is shown containing overhead a number of stationary tracks 6 arranged in parallel relation and suspended from I.- beams 7. The Lbeams 7 are in turn built into the frame work of the room by means of brackets 8 and 9 and bolts 10. The stationary tracks 6 are preferably of box shapewith inwardly bent flanges 11 serving as rails upon which trolleys 12 are adapted to move back an adjoining tile panel com and forth, each trolley comprising a pair of rollers 13 from which the tile panels are suspended by means of bolts 14-. There are preferably two trolleys 12 to each panel.

A panel 3 consists of a metal pan 15 reinforced at the top by angle irons 16. In each pan 15 tiles 17 are laid and cemented to form a sample design. Suitable handles, one 18 at the edge of each panel and another 19 in the upper front portion thereof are conveniently used for manually noving a panel laterally from its compartment 4 and forward to the Wall 1 of the display room.

Above each wall opening 2, as best shown in Fig. V, there is a traveler in the form of an angle bar 20 mounted on rollers 21 which engage a support in the form of tracks 22 running transversely of the compartments 4 at right angles to the tracks 6 and leading to the wall opening 2. The tracks are notched at 23, the notches being provided adacent each stationary track 6 in such manner that the traveler 20 may be brought to rest in the proper position to transfer a panel 3 from a stationary track 6 to the movable transfer track 24 which is suspended from the traveler 20 by means of clamps 25. It will be observed that the movable transfer track 24 is of such length as to bridge the gap between the two sets of stationary tracks 6 so that by positioning the movable transfer track 24 adjacent any particular stationary track 6, a panel 3 may be easily transferred from one to the other by means of its handle 18. A panel when engaging the movable transfer track 24 may in an obvious n'ianner be propelled backward and forward with respect to a wall opening 2 by means of its handle 19. The above described apparatus used for switching a panel. laterally from a panel compartment a and forward to a wall opening 2, this apparatus comprising a traveler 20. rollers 21, and a track suspended from the traveler by means of ..mps is conveniently termed herein a transfer carrier. and while I have def rihed one form which this transfer carrier may take, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various means may be employed for snspending a movable track in such manner that it may be propelled in parallel relation to stationary tracks.

Locking devices 26 are provided for each stationary track 6 to prevent the panel fl-(an being moved from their respective trams unless the track 24 of the transfer carrier is in registry with the track from which a panel is to be selected. The lockin devices 7 consist of elliptical flat pieces swingable on pins 27 projecting from angle bars 28. The angle bars 28 are in turn secured to flat members 29 bolted to the I-beams 7. Suitable spacers 30 are provided in connection with. each looking device 26 to insure their proper position with respect to the tracks 6. Normally the locking devices 20 partially obstruct the openings in the ends of the tracks 6 so as to prevent a trolley 12 from passing beyond the end of its track 6. When, however, the track 24 of the transfer carrier is in registry with a stationary track 6, its locking device 26 is swung upward and out of the way.

Suitable guides 31 are arranged at the bottom of the compartments 4; to assist in the return of the panels from a wall opening 2 to their respective positions. [is shown in Fig. VI the guides 31 are pointed at their ends thus enabling the operator to adjust the position of a panel preparatory to returning it to its compartment.

The operation of the apparatus will be apparent from its description. The operator has only to select from a compartment a particular panel, and, after positioning the track 2% of the transfer carrier to register with the stationary track 6 of the particular panel selected (an operation which is easily performed as the movable track 24 is within convenient reach), he can by the use of the bandles 18 and 19 move the panel to the wall opening 2. In this manner a large number of samples may be available for display.

'While the invention has been described in some detaihit will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the apparatus shown without departing from the spiritof the invention. It will also be apparent that the invention may be applied to apparatus for displaying other things than tiles.

Having thus described our invention, we claim 1. An apparatus for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein, overhead stationary tracks behind said wall, trolleys adapted to engage said tracks, a series of panels suspended from said trolleys, a support leading to said wall opening, and a transfer carrier movable on said support parallel with the stationary tracks, said transfer carrier including a track adapted to register with any of said stationary tracks, whereby any of said panels may be transferred from its stationary track to said wall opening.

2. An apparatus for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein, overhead stationary tracks behind said wall, trolleys adapted to engage said tracks, a series of panels suspended from said trolleys, a support leading to said wall opening, a transfer carrier movable on said support parallel with the stationary tracks, said transfer carrier including a track adapted to register with any of said stationary tracks, whereby any of said panels may be transferred from its stationary track to said wall opening, and means for preventing any panel from being moved from its stationary track unless the track of the transfer carrier is in registry therewith.

3.]An apparatus for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein, overhead stationary tracks behind said wall, trolleys adapted to engage said tracks, a series of panels suspended from said trolleys, a support leading to said wall opening, a transfer carrier movable on said support parallel with said stationary tracks, said transfer carrier including a track adapted to register with any of said stationary tracks whereby any of said panels may be transferred from its stationary track to the said wall opening, and means associated with said support tending to cause the transfer carrier to come to rest with its track in registry with a stationary track.

4. An apparatus for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein, stationary tracks behind said wall, a support leading to said wall opening, a transfer carrier movable on said support parallel with said stationary tracks and including a track adapted to register with any of said stationary tracks, said stationary tracks being substantially box-shaped and adapted to accommodate trolleys therein, and a series of panel carrying trolleys normally engaging said stationary tracks but adapted to be switched to the track of said transfer carrier, whereby said panel carrying trolleys may be brought forward to said wall opening.

5. An apparatus for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein, a number of stationary tracks behind said wall and parallel with said wall, a number of tile panels having trolleys engaging said tracks, a support leading to said wall opening, and a transfer carrier movable on said support and including an additional track parallel with said stationary tracks and adapted to be moved'towards or away from said wall opening, whereby a panel may be transferred from a stationary track to the wall opening.

6. An apparatus. for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein. a number of parallel stationary tracks behind said wall, said tracks being substantially box-shaped with inwardly bent flanges serving as rails, a number of tile panels having trolleys engaging said rails,a support leading to said wall opening, and atransfer carrier movable on said support and including an additional track similarly leys adapted to engage said tracks, panels suspended from said trolleys, additional station ary tracks leading to said wall opening and disposed at right angles to said first mentioned stationary tracks, a transfer carrier movable on said second mentioned stationary tracks, said transfer carrier including a transfer track and being adapted to be moved towards and away from said wall opening whereby any of said panels may be switched to said transfer track and brought forward to said wall opening.

In testimony whereof,'we have hereunto signed our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 17th day of June, 1929.

ROYDEN M. ZIEGLER. ARIO PARDEE. HERBERT W. WARDEN, JR.

shaped and adapted to move back and forth with respect to said wall opening in parallel relation with said stationary tracks whereby any of said panels may be transferred from its stationary track to the said wall opening.

7. An apparatus for displaying tiles or the like comprising a wall having an opening therein, a number of stationary tracks behind said Wall and parallel therewith, trol- 

